The sun rose on the third day - the day in which Totosai was to be done. Sesshomaru sighed inwardly as he stared at the Viking warrior, still lying next to him in a deep and contented sleep with her breaths soft and easy. He knew that this day would come, that he would eventually have to say goodbye to the warrior who had ensnared his mind despite his best efforts. Sesshomaru couldn't help but trace a finger on her cheek as he laid next to her, her skin soft and warm. Torunn smiled slightly, sighing dreamily as she curled closer to him.

He turned on his back as sun danced through the leaves above them both. Was Sesshomaru ready to let her go? He tried to push those notions away. He didn't own her, no matter how his body wanted to. No, if there was one thing he had learned in his brief time with the intriguing being was that she belonged to no one except for herself. He couldn't keep her inside his inevitable gilded cage. Sesshomaru knew in his being that she was the very definition of freedom, something that he envied, and deeply admired. He told himself that he needed only to be grateful for the time that they had shared with one another, and what he had learned from Torunn.

He turned his head towards her, the morning light seemed to make her unruly, golden mane shine, brighter than the sun even he thought. He marveled at her still form, trying to commit to memory every curve and line of her body, his mind then wandering back to the previous night that they had shared together.

"What do we do now?" The Demon Lord had asked of Torunn who was still lying languidly in his arms. The bright moon hung in the sky silently, making Torunn's eyes sparkle like the stars that kept it company. She turned her gaze to him and her look wide with with wonder, not actually knowing what was next, though he could see the heated look that she gave him what she wanted to do next.

Or rather again.

That was a different answer to a different question, one that was certainly on the daiyokai's mind as well.

"I'm not entirely sure," she admitted after a time, curling under her wolf pelt next to him, "But I think that's okay. For now, I think we should just try to enjoy what is happening. If you will still have me travel with you, that is, Lord Sesshomaru." The playful look in her eyes threatened Sesshomaru to lose himself in another earth moving kiss, knowing full well that he would very much enjoy having her in his company.

Instead he had said, "That would be adequate." Torunn's laughter rang into the night at his answer, its sound warming him from the inside out. Even without him saying it, she knew what he had meant. Torunn had the uncanny ability to see through his carefully worded responses. She saw through him, and instead of feeling vulnerable, Sesshomaru felt safe.

The Demon Lord shook himself from that reverie, though he clung to the laugh that he would never admit aloud that he had missed while she had been gone from him briefly. He smiled softly, content that him and Torunn finally succumbed to their deep desires. To each of theirs deep emotions.

He paused.

Deep emotions? Were these the emotions that his own father had known and acted upon? Admittedly, Sesshomaru had no recollection of ever feeling this strongly about anything before - it was all new to him. His feelings towards Rin were similar, but more so in a protective way than what he felt towards Torunn.

Those emotions were wholly different.

His own mother had raised him to believe that such emotions were a weakness. Trivial things that made the mind feeble, but at that moment, his own mind struggled to figure out was the truth, and what was simply fed to him. His gaze again lingered on Torunn and he, The Demon Lord of the Western Lands, felt like he could conquer anything at just the thought of her brilliant smile.

It is not weakness, Mother - it is strength, he thought to himself as Torunn finally began to stir, stretching in almost a feline way. She blinked at the morning light, and smiled.

"Good morning," Torunn said, her voice still groggy from sleep.

"Hn," was Sesshomaru reply, shifting himself as Torunn stood up. She looked the for the gifted clothes that she had hastily thrown the couple of hours before, a satisfied grin on her face as she found them quite a bit aways from where they had ended up. Deftly, she wandered back and pecked a surprised Demon Lord on the cheek and then stepped behind the tree change while Sesshomaru began to dress himself, the same creeping smile that had threatened to break his stoic face so many times that he had lost count.

Torunn hummed a tune as she slid the unfamiliar clothing on. The Demon Lord could see that she had struggled momentarily with the material, not used to the clinging fabric that graced every taunt muscle on her body. Torunn had caught the daiyokai's wandering eyes, stuck out her tongue and moved herself so that Sesshomaru no longer had view of her wrestling with the clothes.

As he finished tying his obi, she walked around the other side of the tree. Sesshomaru gritted his teeth so hard that for a moment, he thought that they would break. Maybe it was due to the previous night, but he had never seen such a beautifully enticing image.

"How does it look, Pretty Boy?"

The words that came to mind as he took in Torunn were many - devasting, dangerous, immaculate, impeccable, foreboding - none of them did any justice, seeing the way the dark material clung to her taut form.

"Powerful," he said when thoughts came back into his mind. His eyes travelled from the form fit of the clothing, to the armor that adorned her, and while we hadn't consciously meant to make them look so similar to his, Sesshomaru could not lie and say that it didn't fill him with a sense of pride as she strutted towards him.

Again he knew that he could not keep her confided to his gilded cage, but it made his heart soar knowing that she would always think of him whenever Torunn wore it. Though he did not own her, but there was no mistake that he was not a part of her. Something that they both shared with one another. The warrior woman chuckled as she continued to show off for him, making his blood run hot in his veins.

"Of course you would say that," she said as she tested the stretch of the material, making sure that she was able to move properly, and from where the Demon Lord of the Western Lands stood, she moved incredibly well. He wandered closer to her, placing his hand under her chin to look into her eyes.

"You look beautiful," he breathed. At that, Torunn lost herself. She went through a fit of coughing and seemed to have been utterly flabbergasted, not knowing how to respond. She kept opening and closing her smart mouth, unable to form words. After a moment of this, she cleared her throat.

"Thank you," she said quietly, "For this. For everything. I will not forget this kindness, Lord Sesshomaru."

"Please," he said, wrapping his arm around her waist, pulling her closer, "Just Sesshomaru." He saw her throat bob as she swallowed, thought mischief still twinkled in her blue eyes.

"Fine. Thank you, Just Sesshomaru," Torunn said, gifting him a kiss, "Now, let's head back to Rin and Jaken. I'm sure they have been missing us." Though not hand in hand, the walked closely together, fingertips brushing, as they made their way back his wards, both trying to ignore the eventual goodbyes that hung between them.

For now, they would just enjoy.